For Sprint Cup drivers, the night time is the right time when it comes to racing at Chicagoland Speedway in July. Or at least they think it is.
So, racing under the lights at Chicago for the first time in the eight-year history of the track should be good for drivers and fans. Good as in they won’t be as susceptible to heat stroke.
But for the people who prepare the cars, and probably for those who drive them, the first night race at any track can be interesting. They just do not have any notes or experience to go off of.
“This is a big unknown because we’ve never run here at night, obviously,” driver Jeff Burton said. “There are a lot of questions we have to answer.”
“The track does look different at night,” Burton said. “When you see something different, it takes just a moment to get in gear. Some tracks are not as well lit as others. I have no idea how this one is lit. We’ve never seen it here at night, so I have no idea.”
Jimmie Johnson said, “There is a lot of guessing going on, and engineers are working hard with the crew chief to dream up the optimum setup.”
Some teams tested at similar tracks this week.
“We tested this week in Kentucky and tried some things there,” points leader Kyle Busch said. “We learned a little bit, not a whole lot. We unloaded here and felt pretty good off the truck, not too bad.”
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